ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p 3D-Ready Projector with HDMI, Dual VGA, Composite and S-video | Best Product 2014

ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p 3D-Ready Projector with HDMI, Dual VGA, Composite and S-video

CUSTOMER REVIEW



NOTE: Since this review is so popular, I will update it on a regular basis as I find out more about this projector. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or want to request clarification. (Last Updated: Mar 16, 2014)



Pros:

This projector is ideal for gaming. Zero input lag, instant response rate, 1:1 pixel mapping via HDMI (no overscan) with an RGB source (like a PC or high-end Blu Ray player).



Bright, vibrant colors; bright enough to replace a TV. I barely even have to draw the blinds to use this during the day, even at picture sizes up to 140" and the lamp mode set to Economic. Yellows and cyans look especially good. Eat your heart out, Quattron.



Post calibration contrast is amazing, better than any movie theater.



1080p 3D gaming is mind-blowing. Even though you have to play in Side by Side or Top-Bottom mode at that resolution to get 60Hz (full 1080p 3D is limited to 24Hz, which is fine for movies), picture is still crystal clear and razor sharp. This is a limitation of HDMI, and not the projector itself.



3D Crosstalk is almost non-existent. Make the screen large, crank the FOV to 110-120 in FPSes, and you'll feel like you're living inside the game.



No perceivable brightness loss in 3D.



Short throw gives you approx. 1" of screen size for every 1" the projector is away from the wall at full zoom.



Rainbows all but completely disappear in 3D. In 2D they are noticeable with bright objects against a dark background, though. Even though I'm very sensitive to rainbows they're not visible enough to annoy me. Over time you start to notice them less and less as you get used to the projector. After 1000 hours I rarely see them anymore.



Cons:

Out of the box picture is ok, but needs some fine tuning. See below for the color settings I've come up with (calibrated using test patterns).



Glitchy firmware. Hopefully an update will fix some minor issues I've been having.



Colors are a bit washed out in 3D, though it's nothing that can't be fixed with a color profile in your graphics card. See below for another fix.



Color settings can't be adjusted in 3D. You have to switch to 2D first to make changes, but they carry over to 3D. It would be a good idea to use User 1 for your 2D settings, and User 2 for your 3D settings. To clarify, crank up the color gains in the Color Management settings so that they're slightly oversaturated, and save them to User 2. Then switch to User 2 every time you go to 3D. This will make up for the washed out colors. Or if you're lazy you could just deal with it. Personally I don't mind.



Contrast isn't as good in 3D, but blacks still go well below the video reference level.



Throw angle is a bit awkward. Hard to ceiling mount with a high ceiling, and you can't table mount it unless you slouch in your seat or sit behind it. If you have a high ceiling or simply don't want to buy a mount, the best place to stick it would be on top of a bookshelf. Just make sure you leave plenty of room around it to breathe!



Here are my post-calibration color settings:

Color Mode: User 1 or 2

Reference Mode: Dynamic PC or ViewMatch

Brightness: 52

Contrast: -5

BrilliantColor: Off (turn it on as a last resort if you ever need some extra brightness, but keep in mind that it reduces contrast, throws color accuracy & gamma all out of whack.)

Noise Reduction: 0

Gamma: Depends on the source. 3 is more accurate in some cases, and in others it's 4. Lagom.nl has some good Gamma test patterns to determine which setting is right.

HDMI Range: Depends. For PCs, Enhanced gives you the full color range. However, some sources like game consoles and satellite receivers might have washed out blacks. In that case, use the Normal setting.



Red Hue: -10

Red Sat: 110

Red Gain: 105



Grn Hue: -5

Grn Sat: 105

Grn Gain: 104



Blue Hue: -3

Blue Sat: 100

Blue Gain: 74



Cyan Hue: 9

Cyan Sat: 110

Cyan Gain: 104



Mag Hue: 0

Mag Sat: 100

Mag Gain: 104



Yel Hue: -5

Yel Sat: 110

Yel Gain: 100



Keep in mind that colors can vary from projector to projector, even with the same model, so it's a good idea to use these settings as a baseline for your own calibration.